novelraw Chapter 64: Calculating Our Gains
Chapter 64: Calculating Our Gains
“Huff, puff…” I collapsed to one knee the moment I confirmed the divine stag was dead. The energy sword in my hand flickered out, vanishing as if it had never existed.
Even though there was a burning corpse before me and burning trees all around me, I didn’t have the strength left to care, let alone move away—
Warning: You have run out of Plausibility.
The possession has ended.
Your power has returned to normal.
You Strength has increased by 2.
Your Dexterity has increased by 1.
Your Stamina has increased by 1.
You have acquired a skill: [Berserk Lv.1].
Your Dexterity has increased by 2.
Your Stamina has increased by 1.
You have acquired a skill: [Back Stab Lv.1].
Your Mind has increased by 2.
Your Magic Power has increased by 2.
Mana Sense has leveled up.
Mana Manipulation has leveled up.
You have acquired a skill: [Chantless Casting Lv.1].
Your Dexterity has increased by 1.
Your Stamina has increased by 1.
Your [Basic Swordsmanship Lv.10] has evolved to [Intermediate Swordsmanship Lv.1].
“Holy shit!” I stared wide-eyed at the endless string of notifications from the blue screen before me. They just kept coming—stacked rewards from the multiple possessions, now being delivered all at once.
But the rush of excitement quickly faded as a horrible realization struck me, sending chills down my spine: What if I had been just one second too late? What if I’d run out of plausibility before unleashing my final strike to kill the divine stag?
I wouldn’t have been the one standing now; it would’ve been me lying dead in the ashes.
Before I could dive deeper into the thought, Boris and Michelle appeared from the burning treeline.
“Maxim!” Michelle called, sprinting toward me. Her face was pale, though whether from exhaustion or concern, I couldn’t say. She then knelt by my side without hesitation. “You’re still breathing. Good. Can you stand?”
“Yeah. I’m hurt all over, but I’m fine,” I replied hoarsely, managing a weak grin.
Boris lumbered up next, brushing dirt from my shoulder. “Damn, lad. That was one hell of a finish. Never seen someone jump into lightning just to stab a beast in the throat.” He grinned widely, but there was pride in his eyes. “Brave. Glorious.”
Michelle offered me a potion from her inventory. “Here. Drink this.”
I took it gratefully and drank it in one go. The familiar minty burn of a healing potion slid down my throat, followed by a slow wave of warmth spreading through my battered body. The pain dulled, just enough for me to breathe easier.
“Thanks… both of you,” I said between breaths. I was being sincere here; if I had been alone, even if I used every trump card in my possession, I didn’t think I could’ve pulled it off.
Michelle shook her head. “If it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t have stood a chance.”
“I have to agree with Michelle this time,” Boris said with a firm nod, folding his arms. “Facing that stag was like trying to stop a runaway train with bare hands. If it wasn’t for the buff you gave us and your strange skills, I don’t think we would be in one piece now.”
I laughed dryly. “Can’t argue with that…”
“But lad,” Boris added, eyeing me with a mix of curiosity and confusion, “I’ve noticed you always charge headfirst into taking down the strongest and most dangerous enemies. Same thing happened in the previous scenario. I know that you have secrets that you’re keeping to yourself. But what drives you to be so reck—no, passionate, I suppose? I’ve seen plenty of people with that kind of fire in their eyes—like they’re chasing something as if their very lives depend on it.”
What made me act that way?
Now that he mentioned it, I had to wonder myself. Sure, I was always thinking about clearing the scenario and surviving, but were there no other ways to win without throwing myself into the fire every time? Maybe not. Or maybe, deep down, it wasn’t just about survival.
Perhaps… it was the sheer obsession to reclaim what I had lost. To uncover the mystery behind my fall from power. To prove to this world—and maybe to myself—that I was more than what fate had decided.
“That is…” I began, trying to form a half-truth or excuse, but the words never left my mouth.
Because at that moment, the burning corpse of Eikthyrnir shimmered, its body breaking down into radiant particles, causing my spear, or what remained of it, to fall to the ground. Sparks of pale violet and golden light drifted through the air like fireflies, and they soon floated toward me. Hmm?
Without thinking, I reached out. The motes of light gently touched my skin… and were all drawn into me through the tip of my finger.
You have absorbed the remaining divine power of Eikthyrnir’s projection.
You have gained 1529 Plausibility.
I could feel a warm feeling spread through my core, almost the same as what I felt when I absorbed the faith contained in statues… But it was purer and calmer. Not fueled by desperation, but by the quiet remnants of a divine being’s final breath. It felt as though the divine stag itself was thanking me for helping to free it from corruption.
“Whew…” I exhaled softly, eyes wide.
“Um, why did the stag’s corpse suddenly vanish?” Michelle asked, tilting her head in confusion.
“Wait, I’m sure it was just here a second ago…” Boris scratched his bald head.
Oh? So, they can’t see those particles of light… Well, that wasn’t surprising. Normal humans without a connection to divine power wouldn’t be able to perceive them. Still, this confirmed my suspicion: What we had fought wasn’t Eikthyrnir’s true body and was only its projection. After all, there was no way a divine being’s real form would be defeated so “easily.”
Putting that thought aside, I stood up, walked to a safer location, and opened my status screen to check what had changed.
Maximillian Anderson Lv. 40/40 (EXP 1,946)
HP: 100%
MP: 80/80
Rank: Bet [2]
Patron God: Istellia (Goddess of Imagination)
Class: Paradox Incarnate
Title: Foul Play (4)
Status: Normal
Strength: 203 + 13 | Dexterity: 172 + 12 | Stamina: 148 + 8
Mind: 63 | Magic Power: 96 | Luck: 104
Plausibility: 1529
Free Attributes: 35
Signature Skill(s): [@!$# Creation], [Fabled Vessel], [Grant Plausibility], [Scenario Manipulation]
Skill(s): [Basic Alchemy Lv.5], [Basic Hand-to-Hand Combat Lv.5], [Basic Neutral Magic Lv.5], [Basic Shield Mastery Lv.5], [Basic Spearmanship Lv.10], [Back Stab Lv.1], [Berserk Lv.1], [Chantless Casting Lv.1], [Desperate Willpower Lv.6], [Extraordinary Power], [Heavy Slash Lv.4], [Heavy Stab Lv.4], [Inspect Eye Lv.2], [Intermediate Swordsmanship Lv.1], [Inventory], [Mana Manipulation Lv.5], [Mana Sense Lv.6], [Mental Tolerance Lv.4], [Negotiation Lv.4], [Night Vision], [Pain Tolerance Lv.5], [Paralysis Resistance Lv.1], [Poison Resistance Lv.1], [Projectile Defense Lv.1], [Predator’s Step Lv.2], [Wind Rush Lv.3]
Spell(s): {Mana Arrow}, {Mana Bullet}, {Spinning Mana Arrow}
My stats had improved quite considerably, even though they had already been raised just before the battle. I must have pushed myself far beyond my limits… or perhaps the benefits of using Fabled Vessel were simply that immense.
[Berserk]
Rank: Rare
Type: Active
Temporarily enter a frenzied state, increasing physical stats by 25% for one minute. While active, pain is suppressed, and attacks become more aggressive and relentless. However, it will decrease your Mind stat by 90%, and it will make it difficult for you to distinguish between friend and foe. Furthermore, once the skill duration ends, you will experience extreme fatigue and weakness.
[Back Stab]
Rank: Uncommon
Type: Active
Deliver a precise strike to a target’s vulnerable point from behind and cause intense bleeding. Deals significantly increased damage if the target is stunned or unaware of your presence.
[Chantless Casting]
Rank: Rare
Type: Passive
Allows the user to cast basic spells without verbal incantations. Spells of intermediate or higher tier will still require incantations.
Holy… These skills are all good! I thought with glee. That Berserk skill would allow me to let loose on the battlefield even more… but I didn’t think I could safely use it near allies, not to mention the extreme weakness after using it. The other two, though, were not too shabby.
Also, I remembered that I got a new title right after killing the divine stag.
One Who Conquered the Impossible
Rank: Epic
Awarded to those who have overcome a foe far beyond their level under extreme conditions.
Increase all stats by 10%.Greatly improves resistance to fear and mental debuffs.Increase skill effectiveness against enemies at least 20 levels higher by 25%.An epic-rank title?!
Even obtaining a unique-rank title was already a very difficult endeavor, particularly considering I didn’t even have a single rare-rank title yet. But getting an epic one now was absolutely insane. And to make matters better, the effects were ridiculously good.
One couldn’t underestimate the 10 percent boost to all stats; it might seem modest on paper, but it scaled with stats. The more stats I had, the more significant the bonus became. The second effect, which improved my resistance to fear and mental debuffs, would be invaluable when facing future enemies that would possess such abilities. To put the cherry on top, the third effect made me stronger when facing enemies that far out leveled me, giving me an edge.
Thus, I changed my title to it without hesitation.
Foul Play → One Who Conquered the Impossible
“Boris, Michelle,” I asked, “did you two get any new titles after defeating the final boss just now?”
“Now that you mention it, I did,” Michelle replied with a nod.
“Same here,” Boris added. “It’s called ‘One Who Defied the Impossible.’”
“Can I see the title’s effects?”
“Sure,” they both said in unison and brought up their status screens to share.
One Who Defied the Impossible
Rank: Unique
Awarded to those who have overcome overwhelming odds alongside their comrades.
Increase all stats by 5%.Moderately improves resistance to fear and mental debuffs.Increase skill effectiveness against enemies at least 20 levels higher by 10%.‘Unique’! Ha! I really was uninspired back then... I internally shook my head in mock indignation.
It appeared that their titles’ effects were slightly weaker compared to mine, and I was almost certain that I’d received a better version because I was the one who inflicted the most damage and landed the killing blow. Of course, that hadn’t been about greed. From the beginning, I had gone for the final strike to fulfill one of the prerequisites for my class advancement.
“I think this title should be your best one, right?” I asked them.
“Yup. I don’t have any titles above uncommon rank,” Michelle replied with a shrug.
Boris gave a small nod. “Mm. It’s better than my old one—One Mind, One Body. That one’s just rare rank and only boosts martial arts and physical stats.”
“All right.”
We took a short ten-minute respite, sitting quietly while the remnants of the battle smoldered around us. The forest beyond the clearing still crackled with flames from the magic and destruction we had unleashed. Smoke drifted through the air like a veil, and the once-sacred grove had been reduced to scorched earth, shattered stones, and ashes.
No one spoke much. We were all too drained, physically and mentally, yet a sense of quiet satisfaction settled between us.
Once I’d confirmed my stamina and mana had recovered slightly, and Michelle finished applying some healing salve on Boris’s bruised shoulder, we finally stood.
“Let’s go check the main altar,” I said, picking up my charred spear that somehow wasn’t destroyed yet.
Durability: 3/35Boris cracked his knuckles. “Yeah. Let’s get this scenario over with.”
Together, we made our way through the scorched path toward the heart of the clearing.